Spain tries to rebound from England loss

Associated Press Sports

updated 10:48 a.m. ET Nov. 14, 2011

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica (AP) -Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque hasn't expressed any concern publicly since his team lost four of eight friendlies since winning the World Cup.

He may start sounding worried, though, if Spain loses to Costa Rica on Tuesday.

Spain dominated possession at Wembley Stadium on Saturday but lost to England 1-0. That followed losses in friendlies against three other powerful football countries: Argentina, Portugal and Italy.

"The loss doesn't mean the team was relaxing," Del Bosque said. "We played hard and were fired up. ... Maybe we lacked finishing, but not effort."

Spain goes into the match against Costa Rica without injury worries, and it figures to be a landmark night for goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

The 30-year-old Casillas will surpass Andoni Zubizarreta as the country's all-time appearance leader with his 127th match. Casillas, who equaled the mark in England, is expected to start the match and give way to Barcelona goalkeeer Victor Valdes.

Asked about being a Spanish football legend, Casillas said that was something he could savor later.

"When you live with these things daily, you are not really aware of them," Casillas said. "When you leave football and look back at the statistics, you can appreciate it more."

Spanish players expressed frustration at England's defensive style. Costa Rica is likely to play a more open match, giving the Spanish space to show off their powerful midfield led by Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

The keys for Costa Rica will be strikers Bryan Ruiz and Joel Campbell, both of whom are playing this season in Europe. Both are counterattacking players, which may also allow Costa Rica coach Jorge Luis Pinto to stack the defense and wait for an opening.

The decision to play the match in Central America has been criticized in Spain, with many questioning the travel and the quality of the opposition.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


advertisement

More news
Beckham is comeback player of year

David Beckham has been voted Major League Soccer's comeback player of the year and Bruce Arena has earned coach of the year as the Los Angeles Galaxy swept both awards.

Staying home

Man City striker Carlos Tevez has decided to stay in his native Argentina instead of meeting with the Premier League leaders to discuss his future.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45289215/ns/sports-soccer/

death penalty gary busey the x factor execution execution facebook music facebook music

Chromeo Opener Mayer Hawthorne Gets 'Funny Looks' From Fans

Soul singer just completed a tour with the electro-funk duo.
By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker


Mayer Hawthorne
Photo: Getty Images

Detroit soul singer Mayer Hawthorne is gaining a lot of buzz these days. He dropped by the MTV Newsroom to talk about what it was like to be the somewhat mismatched opening act for electro-funk duo Chromeo this fall.

"I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with," the artist, who has toured with the likes of Bruno Mars, Janelle Monae and Passion Pitt, said. As it turns out, Hawthorne was the last artist to tour with Amy Winehouse before her tragic passing last summer.

"I watched her set every night," Hawthorne said, lowering his eyes. "She really seemed to be back on the right track."

Joined by his band the County, the musician explained how the pairing of soul and electro-funk came to be on the Chromeo tour, which he just wrapped in New York City.

"I did a couple covers of their songs and just put them out for free online," he recalled. "I actually met them through [Chromeo lead singer, Dave's brother] A-Track. We kept in touch and just decided, 'Hey, let's hit the road together!' "

Hawthorne's style of music is a throwback to the likes of Curtis Mayfield and Smokey Robinson, whom he names among his influences. "I try to make sure that I make music that can stand the test of time," he explained. "Hopefully people are digging for my records in 30 years just like I'm digging for records from 30 years ago."

Despite his steady climb to success, including his first album, How Do You Do, released under Universal Republic earlier this year, the singer explained that it's not easy being the opening act and standing in front of someone else's fans.

"When we come out on stage, we get a lot of funny looks, arms folded, like, 'This is not who I came for,' " he explained. "That's one of the reasons why we work so hard to make sure that our show is the best in the world."

Hawthorne assures, however, that by the end of his set "everybody's usually all smiles and jumping up and down."

Over the next few months, Mayer Hawthorne and the County will be touring the world.

"We're just getting warmed up," he smirked.

Related Videos Related Artists

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1674401/chromeo-mayer-hawthorne-opener.jhtml

last minute halloween costumes rum diary klipsch image s4 chris bosh world series october 28 2011 october 28 2011

'The boys did a great job'

'The boys did a great job,' Nationals catcher Ramos says of rescue raid in Venezuela

By IAN JAMES, JORGE RUEDA

updated 9:48 p.m. ET Nov. 12, 2011

VALENCIA, Venezuela - His eyes tearing up with emotion, Washington Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos embraced his rescuers Saturday and said he had wondered whether he would survive a two-day kidnapping ordeal that ended when commandos swept into his captors' mountain hideout.

Ramos said that he was thankful to be alive a day after his rescue and that his final moments as a prisoner were hair-raising as police and the kidnappers exchanged heavy gunfire in the remote area where he was being held. He said his kidnappers had carefully planned the abduction and told him they were going to demand a large ransom.

"I didn't know if I was going to get out of it alive," Ramos told reporters at a police station in his hometown of Valencia, flanked by police investigators, National Guard commanders and Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami. "It was very hard for me. It was very hard for my family."

El Aissami said authorities arrested four of the captors, all of them Venezuelan men in their 20s. A 60-year-old woman and a 74-year-old man were also arrested as accomplices for supplying the kidnappers with food from their home in the area, he said. The six suspects were led past journalists at the police station with black hoods over their heads.

The authorities were still searching for at least four Colombian men who escaped during the rescue, El Aissami said. He didn't say whether anyone was wounded in the gunbattle.

Ramos, 24, was seized at gunpoint outside his family's home Wednesday night and whisked away in an SUV. It was the first known kidnapping of a Major League Baseball player in Venezuela, and the abduction set off an outpouring of candlelight vigils and public prayers at stadiums as well as outside Ramos' house.

El Aissami said investigators' first break in the case came when they found the kidnappers' stolen SUV, a bronze-colored Chevrolet, abandoned in the town of Bejuma alongside the mountains of central Carabobo state. With that location pinpointed, he said, they studied past crimes in the area and ended up checking on a rural house that authorities believed had been used in a previous kidnapping.

An SUV parked outside had mud on it even though there was no mud in the area, El Aissami said. Investigators suspected that SUV was being used to shuttle food to another spot nearby, and eventually determined the house was probably being used by the kidnappers as a support base while holding Ramos elsewhere, he said.

El Aissami said authorities took over the house and detained the couple who had been cooking for the abductors.

Once investigators thought they had found the general area where Ramos might be, President Hugo Chavez personally authorized an aerial search mission and teams also set out on foot in the mountainous area, El Aissami said. He said the teams searched most of the day on Friday and finally came upon the remote house where Ramos was being held.

Chavez followed the operation "minute by minute," the justice minister said.

The two-day search involved about 200 police and National Guard troops as well as helicopters, said Joel Rengifo, former chief of a Venezuelan police anti-kidnapping unit who is now an investigations adviser for Major League Baseball. He said the group that rescued Ramos numbered about 30.

Rengifo accompanied the family during the ordeal and said he was ready to advise them on what to say if the kidnappers called, but they never did.

Ramos recently returned to his homeland after his rookie year with the Nationals to play during the offseason in the Venezuelan league.

When he was abducted, he was standing with his father and two brothers just outside the front door of his family's home in a working-class neighborhood of Valencia, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) west of Caracas.

Ramos said his captors drove him for five or six hours, and once changed from one SUV to another. He said they bound his hands at first, but later allowed him not to be tied up. The kidnappers didn't cover their faces and they spoke little to him, he said.

"They demanded only money," he said.

Ramos said some of his abductors spoke with Colombian accents and revealed they had studied his movements before carrying out the abduction.

"They told me many things they knew of my private life," he said. "They knew a lot about me. They had very good information, an informant who told them all that."

El Aissami said the Colombian informant lived near Ramos' family, and investigators believed he planned the kidnapping and studied Ramos' daily routine.

"This person is the one who gives the information to a criminal group," which in turn carried out the kidnapping, El Aissami said.

It wasn't immediately clear from his remarks whether the alleged informant was one of the four wanted Colombians, or an additional suspect. The number of suspects could grow as the investigation continued, El Aissami said.

He said the investigation also pointed in part to "Colombian paramilitary groups that could be involved in the kidnapping."

Ramos said he was kept in a room and passed the time lying on a bed. When the gunfire erupted Friday as his rescuers arrived, "I was on the bed and I threw myself directly to the floor."

"It was like 15 minutes of shots until the officials arrived and saw me in the room," said Ramos, who hugged the justice minister as well as police and National Guard officers at the news conference.

Chavez praised it as a "clean operation," noting that no one was killed.

Ramos said he was enjoying being back with his family, and planned to start training Monday to play with his Venezuelan team, the Aragua Tigres, on Wednesday.

He said he didn't plan to travel to Washington for now. "I want to stay here to give them that, to the Venezuelan people ... so that they can see me play here."

After his rescue was announced Friday night, Ramos' mother, Maria Campos de Ramos, celebrated, exclaiming on television: "Thanks to God!"

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo also celebrated the news.

"He asked me to thank all who played a role in his rescue, and all those who kept him and his family in their thoughts and prayers," Rizzo said in a statement. "I join Wilson in thanking the many law enforcement officials in Venezuela and investigators with Major League Baseball who worked tirelessly to ensure a positive ending to what has been a frightening ordeal."

Security has increasingly become a concern for Venezuelan players and their families as a swelling wave of kidnappings has hit the country's wealthy and middle class in recent years. Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, and the vast majority of crimes go unsolved.

Major League Baseball officials said it was the first kidnapping of a major leaguer that they could recall. But relatives of several players in Venezuela have previously been kidnapped for ransom, and in two cases have been killed.

Bodyguards typically shadow major leaguers when they return to their homeland to play in Venezuela's league.

"They didn't physically harm me, but psychologically I underwent very great harm," Ramos said. "I was always praying to God, and thanks to God he gave me the miracle of sending me these wonderful people."

He saluted his rescuers, saying: "I'm alive thanks to them."

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


advertisement

More news
'The boys did a great job'

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos embraced investigators who planned his rescue and said he had wondered whether he would survive a two-day kidnapping ordeal.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45269115/ns/sports-baseball/

dean ornish dean ornish yom kippur yom kippur diamondbacks wolf creek wolf creek

Airline fined $900,000 for lengthy tarmac delays (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The Department of Transportation said Monday it has fined a regional affiliate of American Airlines $900,000 for keeping hundreds of passengers cooped up for hours on planes in Chicago earlier this year, a clear warning to airlines on the eve of the holiday travel season that similar incidents won't be tolerated.

American Eagle Airlines had tarmac delays of more than three hours on 15 flights arriving at O'Hare International Airport on May 29, the department said in a statement. A total of 608 passengers were aboard the delayed flights.

The airline must pay $650,000 of the fine within 30 days, the department said. But up to $250,000 can be credited for refunds, vouchers, and frequent flyer mile awards provided to the passengers on the 15 flights, as well as to passengers on future flights that violate the three-hour rule, the department said.

The department implemented a new rule in April 2010 limiting tarmac delays on domestic flights to three hours. After that, airlines must either return to a gate or provide passengers who wish to leave planes with some other means of safely getting off. Airlines that violate the rule can be fined as much as $27,500 per passenger.

The rule has since been extended to international flight delays, which are capped at four hours.

"We put the tarmac rule in place to protect passengers, and we take any violation very seriously," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "We will work to ensure that airlines and airports coordinate their resources and plans to avoid keeping passengers delayed on the tarmac."

American Eagle blamed the delays on airport congestion caused by a slow-moving weather system. The airline said it has apologized to passengers and provided either travel vouchers or frequent flyer program mileage credit.

"We take our responsibility to comply with all of the department's requirements very seriously and have already put in place processes to avoid such an occurrence in the future," American Eagle President and CEO Dan Garton said in a statement.

American and American Eagle are owned by AMR Corp. of Fort Worth, Tex. AMR is in the process of spinning off American Eagle into a separate company.

The airline is the first to be fined for violating the three-hour rule since it took effect 20 months ago. The fine also represents the largest penalty to be paid by an airline in a consumer protection case not involving civil rights violations, although airlines have paid much higher fines for violating federal safety regulations.

The rule was prompted by a series of incidents in which passengers complained of being kept virtual prisoners on planes in sight of an airport terminal. In one famous incident on Valentine's Day 2007, snow and ice in the northeast led to JetBlue Airways stranding hundreds of passengers on 10 planes on the tarmac at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport for up to 10 1/2 hours.

In August 2009, 47 people were stuck overnight aboard a cramped Continental Express plane with a stinking toilet and crying babies after an employee for another airline refused to let them inside a closed airport terminal in Rochester, Minn., where the plane was diverted due to thunderstorms.

LaHood has hailed the three-hour delay rule as a success. Between May 2010 and April 2011, the first 12 months after the time limit was in effect, airlines reported 20 tarmac delays of more than three hours, none of which was more than four hours long. In contrast, during the 12 months before the rule took effect, airlines had 693 tarmac delays of more than three hours, and 105 of the delays were longer than four hours

But airlines, which opposed the three-hour limit, say passengers have paid a price. In order to avoid steep fines, airlines are more likely now to cancel flights than risk a fine by pushing up against the three-hour limit to see if they can get passengers to their destination.

A recent Government Accountability Office report confirmed that has been the case: "As our analysis has shown, the rule appears to be associated with an increased number of cancellations for thousands of additional passengers ? far more than DOT initially predicted ? including some who might not have experienced a tarmac delay."

And lengthy delays haven't entirely disappeared. A freak October snow storm and trouble with landing guidance systems at two New York-area airports recently caused more than 20 flights to be diverted to Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn., overwhelming the smaller airport. Passengers on at least three JetBlue planes and an American Airlines plane were stranded on the tarmac for seven hours or more.

The captain of one of the JetBlue flights could be heard pleading over his radio with authorities for help getting passengers, some of whom were becoming unruly, off the plane. The ordeal continued after they were eventually let off and had to spend the night on cots and chairs in terminals.

___

Follow Joan Lowy at http://twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

____

Online:

Department of Transportation_ http://www.dot.gov

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/topstories/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111114/ap_on_bi_ge/us_airline_fined

barbados resorts tiger woods helen mirren the call surrogates surrogates james garner

Giant Christmas Tree Snaps During Hoisting (VIDEO)

ATLANTA -- It's the Drought That Stole Christmas.

Macy's at Atlanta's Lenox Mall must cut down a new Christmas tree after the 60-foot white pine selected for the holidays snapped while being hoisted atop the department store Sunday morning. Melissa Goff with Macy's said the store usually selects its tree from a Georgia forest, but drought conditions have made it difficult to find a healthy tree this year.

She said the 11,000-pound tree was from Douglas County. She said a backup tree has been selected and will be brought in this week.

The tree will be decorated between now and Thanksgiving Day, when the store will hold a lighting ceremony, a 63-year tradition.

It's not the first time the store has had to get a backup tree: the 2004 tree also broke.

'; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/giant-christmas-tree-snap_0_n_1091765.html

charlie and the chocolate factory ou football ryan torain ryan torain world series game 3 sign language alphabet texas tech

American girl, 12, builds 27 homes in Haiti

What's next for Rachel Wheeler? Building a school in the earthquake-ravaged country

By Mary Murray
NBC News producer

LEOGANE, Haiti - If there really is something called "helper?s high" - that feel-good sensation that comes from extending a helping hand to others - Rachel Wheeler is soaring.

The 12-year-old Florida resident has done more to aid others than many grown-ups do in a lifetime.

Three years ago, when she was only nine, Rachel tagged along with her mother to a very adult meeting about charity work in Haiti. She listened as Robin Mahfood, from the aid agency Food For The Poor, describe children so hungry that they eat cookies made of mud, so poor that they sleep in houses made of cardboard.

At the time, Julie Wheeler wasn?t even sure her young daughter understood much of what was being discussed? "until Rachel stood on a chair in front of all those adults and pledged to help Food For The Poor," Wheeler said.

Then a fourth grader, Rachel promised to raise money to build a dozen homes in Haiti.

"Rachel didn?t just want to help," her mother remembers, "but she said she had to help."

Rachel ran bake sales, passed the can at homecoming games and sold homemade potholders at her Zion Lutheran School in Deerfield Beach, Fla. She mailed fundraising appeals to the parents of her friends and the people she knew from church. In her hometown, the Lighthouse Point Chamber of Commerce cut two sizable checks.

Through her Facebook page and word-of-mouth, a cherry farm in Washington heard about Rachel and sent along the proceeds from one of its season's harvest. Another generous donation came from a family that regularly supports the overseas work of Food For The Poor.

In three short years, this little girl raised more than $250,000.

Instead of just building 12 homes, Rachel more than doubled her promise. She spent $170,000 on brand-new earthquake-proof cement structures that shelter 27 families in a small fishing town outside of the capital Port-au-Prince. The families baptized the housing tract "Rachel?s Village."

Many of the new homeowners had spent their entire lives residing in makeshift homes and tents. Food For The Poor had to give instructions on how to fit a key in a lock and turn a doorknob.

Rachel?s dream now is to rebuild the local school, which was severely damaged in the catastrophic 7.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked Haiti in early 2010, killing 316,000 people and leaving 3 million homeless.

She has about half of the money she needs to fix the Reap de Morel school in Leogane, where 200 students learn the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic in classrooms that have no walls, a patched tin roof and dirt floors. Mahfood calls the fact that children even attend school "a small miracle," given that most are homeless, hungry and live in a country where more than half the population can't read or write their own name.

Classrooms are partitioned by bed sheets. The school "library" is a simple wooden table displaying no more than 30 tattered books. Each child owns just a single pencil and notebook. Textbooks are as scarce as food.

In a makeshift cafeteria, women spend the morning cooking huge vats of rice and beans. By 10 a.m., students are too hungry to concentrate, so lunch is served. This hot lunch, supplied by Food For The Poor, is the only meal of the day for most of these children.

Food For The Poor has worked in Haiti for 25 years. The charity runs hundreds of food pantries that feed more than 400,000 people daily and it supports dozens of free health clinics with medicines to treat thousands of children a week. Many young Haitians suffer from deadly diseases such as cholera, which has killed more than 6,200 Haitians and sickened nearly 440,000 over the past year.

Rachel has been to Haiti twice and has seen the abject poverty firsthand. "I don?t believe I can snap my fingers and change Haiti overnight," she said. "I know I have to work at it."

One might call her approach mature for a 12-year-old. But Rachel isn't your typical pre-teen. She has already invested a fourth of her life to her cause.

"If everyone helped Haiti like Rachel, the country could stand on its own," said Mahfood. "In five years, Haiti would be a completely different country."

If you want to learn more about?Food For The Poor and?Rachel's cause, go to www.foodforthepoor.org/rachel or call 1-800-427-9104.

?

?

Source: http://dailynightly.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/14/8800940-american-girl-just-12-builds-27-homes-in-haiti

verizon wireless oregon ducks football the league the ides of march yankees espn magazine espn magazine

Silver and Gold Investing ? Bellybone Bellybone

Is Buying Gold and Silver a Good Investment? It is currently very important for investors to consider buying both gold and silver. In September 2010, gold climbed to a record $1,296 spot price per ounce. Silver also continued its steady gain, reaching $21 per ounce. A financial investment source, ArabianMoney, predicts gold to gradually increase in value to $5,000 within the next three years. Because of the historic 15:1 ratio of the average price of gold to the average price of silver, the gradual increase in gold value could also result in a rise in the price of silver from $21 per ounce to $315 per ounce in three years. Gold and Silver Versus Paper Currency Gold and silver have become good investments thanks to a continually weak financial market and government action. The US dollar?s decreased value compared to the Euro and concerns of excessive printing by governments has forced many investors to invest in commodities that have a proven ability to retain value. Since August 2001, gold has risen in value by $900 per ounce and silver by $14.50 per ounce. Gold is expected to pass $1,600 per ounce by the end of 2011 and silver will continue to shadow its rise in value during a period where slumping global currencies have made buying gold and silver a good investment. By investing in gold and silver instead of paper currency, you can expect to see a larger return on your investment in years to come. Factors that Influence Your Investment in Gold and Silver In order to maximize the return on your investment in gold and silver, you?ll need to understand all of the factors that might affect the value of your investment. These factors include the daily market spot price, the type of coin or bar you?re purchasing, and external economic data. The daily market spot price changes each day in accordance with supply and demand. For example, if the supply of gold or silver were to increase in one day while the demand decreased, the daily market spot price would decrease. The daily market spot price might also fluctuate depending on the location of the commodity exchange you look at. For example, the spot price in the US might vary from the spot price in Japan. The type of coin or bar that you invest in will also have an effect on the price you pay when you make your purchase. This is because government fees usually cause the value of bullion coins and bars to be above the spot price. Certified rare coins are also more valuable than the spot price would indicate, simply because of their rarity. For example, the value of a proof American Buffalo gold coin is currently $1,500, which is 4-5% above the spot price of gold. External economic data can also have a significant influence on the prices of gold and silver. Generally, the spot price of precious metals such as silver and gold will increase during an economic downturn. This is because, as stock and bond investments become less appealing, investing in gold and silver becomes more appealing. As more people invest in precious metals, the demand (and their prices) increase. It is wise to carefully watch external economic data such as stock indexes and the Dollar Index in order to plan the best time to invest.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) March 19, 2011 The $460,000 winning bid for a headline-making, 100-ounce gold nugget was made by Spectrum Numismatics International of Irvine, California, a division of Spectrum Group International, at a public auction in Sacramento, California on March 16, 2011.Nicknamed the "Washington Nugget" because it was discovered...

Source: http://www.bellybone.net/40279/silver-and-gold-investing/

demarco murray ed reed teresa giudice red ribbon week much ado about nothing sean hayes ndamukong suh

Geek-meets-cook with gadget protectors (AP)

Cooking with iPads and other tablet computers is on the rise. But what if a slip of the saute pan leaves that $500 gadget Wi-Fried?

Enter the growing market of wraps, stands and shields designed to make sure that floury hands and splattering pans don't turn into a recipe for techno disaster.

One solution is disposable, clear covers, such as Clever Wraps. You slide your device inside and, voila, grease, water and other undesirables stay out.

Clever Wraps cofounder Karen McElaney says the idea began with a desire to protect gear from kids, not cooks. She and her business partner had active teens who were apt to drop their phones and other handheld devices in snow, surf, etc.

They tried putting the gadgets in clear plastic bags, but that didn't work well since the bags tended to slip and the gadgets would end up getting pulled out.

"It just came to us one day, `What if the bag for the device fit perfectly?'" says McElaney.

The result was a product called Ringer Wraps, which has since morphed into Clever Wraps and includes a line of clear, plastic wraps that don't interfere with touchscreens or Bluetooth technology, while making sure that gadget-loving cooks won't have to cry over spilled milk.

The wraps were designed for single-use, though depending on what happens in the kitchen they can be wiped down and reused.

Among those closely following the rise of tablets in the kitchen are the staff of Epicurious.com, the online recipe site.

"We've been fascinated by the adoption of the devices and the app downloads and the speed with which they have been downloaded," says Beth Ann Eason, senior vice president and general manager at Conde Nast, which oversees Epicurious.com.

Epicurious, which has the popular EPI recipe app, has been researching how customers are accessing recipes and found a significant increase in tablet use in the early evening when cooks might be expected to be in the kitchen.

Tablet guards vary widely in price and some food bloggers vote for a plain, sealable plastic bag, which may not be the slickest solution around but is low cost.

The plethora of protectors plays into a huge market of products intended to protect your gadgetry, says Scott Stein, senior editor at CNET.

Casez in particular are big, possibly because some of the new devices can be delicate.

In general, it's a good idea to get protection for your device, "especially if you're using it near anything liquid."

Other gadget protectors available include Chef Sleeve, created after Santiago Merea watched his wife bake with her iPad. The apps and connectivity were great, but "I noticed that she had to stop by the sink and wash her hands every time she went from the food to the iPad and vice versa. That was a lot of hand washing! So I figured there had to be a better solution."

He tried using a gallon-sized freezer bag, but found that the bag was too big and the plastic not clear enough. So he started researching and came up with a clear plastic that is recyclable. The product packaging can double as a stand.

And from Fuse comes an Antibacterial Screen Guard made of a material that is hostile to germs and protects against fingerprints and grime.

Gear for your gear, it just might keep you and your gadgetry out of the soup.

___

Online:

Chef Sleeve: http://www.chefsleeve.com

Clever Wraps: http://www.cleverwraps.com

Fuse: http://www.fuseplusyou.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111111/ap_on_hi_te/us_fea_food_gadget_guards

jermichael finley diana nyad diana nyad vikings bears packers cleveland browns michael vick

Economist Monti to quickly form new Italian govt (AP)

ROME ? Economist Mario Monti accepted the monumental task Sunday of trying to form a new government that can rescue Italy from financial ruin, expressing confidence that the nation can beat the crisis if its people pull together.

His selection came a day after Silvio Berlusconi reluctantly resigned as premier, bowing out after world markets pummeled Italy's borrowing ability, reflecting a loss of faith in the 75-year-old media mogul's leadership. Berlusconi quit after the Italian parliament approved new reform measures demanded by the European Union and central bank officials ? but even those are not considered enough to right Italy's ailing economy.

"There is an emergency, but we can overcome it with a common effort," Monti told the nation, shortly after Italy's president formally asked him to see if he can muster enough political support to lead the country out of one of its most trying hours since World War II.

"In a moment of particular difficulty, Italy must win the challenge to bounce back, we must be an element of strength and not weakness in the European Union, of which we are founders," he added.

Monti must now draw up a Cabinet, lay out his priorities, and see if he has enough support in Parliament to govern. Rival political parties offered various degrees of support, including one demand from Berlusconi's party ? the largest in Parliament ? that his government last only as long enough as it takes to heal Italy's finances and revive the economy.

The 68-year-old economics professor is no pushover, earning a reputation for staring down challenges as a tough EU competition commissioner. But he'll have to win a confidence vote in Parliament before he can lead the nation.

Monti told reporters he will carry out his task "with a great sense of responsibility and service toward this nation." Italy must heal its finances and resume growth because "we owe it to our children, to give them a concrete future of dignity and hope."

Berlusconi's party also demanded that only technocrats ? not politicians ? make up Monti's Cabinet in exchange for its crucial support.

Monti faces a daunting challenge ? preventing an Italian default that could tear apart the 17-nation eurozone and send Europe and the U.S. into new recessions.

Italy's economy is hampered by high wage costs, low productivity, fat government payrolls, excessive taxes, choking bureaucracy, and an educational system that produces one of the lowest levels of college graduates among rich countries.

In addition, as the third-largest economy in the eurozone, Italy is considered too big for Europe to bail out like Greece, Portugal and Ireland have been.

The next Italian government needs to push through even more painful reforms and austerity measures to deal with euro1.9 trillion ($2.6 trillion) in debt ? about 120 percent of the country's economic output. And many of those debts are coming due soon ? Italy has to roll over more than euro300 billion ($410 billion) of its debts next year alone.

Some political forces, including some from Berlusconi's ranks and that of his allies, have been clamoring for early elections. But President Giorgio Napolitano cited approaching treasury bond auctions ? one as early as Monday and other bonds maturing in the next few months ? as a main reason he decided to "avoid early elections and the consequent government vacuum" until a new one could be formed.

Asked by journalists if he thought Monti could form his government by week's end, Napolitano responded positively.

The yield on Italian 10-year bonds fell to 6.48 percent Friday, below the crisis level of 7 percent reached earlier last week, a level that forced the three other EU nations into international bailouts.

Centrist and center-left parties in the opposition during Berlusconi's rule offered their support for Monti.

"Italian parties are at fork in the road. Either they speculate on the situation, hoping that they can get some campaign capital from it, or they take up their responsibilities to save the country," said centrist opposition leader Pier Ferdinando Casini.

The leader of Italy's largest labor confedation, the left-wing CGIL, Susanna Camusso, expressed hope that Monti could pull together a government capable of "giving back the international credibility that we have lost in these years."

Union leaders, along with industrialists, have accused Berlusconi of doing virtually nothing to create jobs during his tenure.

Berlusconi's main ally in his 17 years of politics, Umberto Bossi, said his Northern League, a regional party with its power base in the affluent north, would stay in the opposition and insisted early elections are the true solution.

"We won't give him any blank check," Bossi said of Monti.

Warmly welcoming the new prime minister-designate were European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

"We believe that it sends a further encouraging signal," following Italy's final passage Saturday of new austerity measures, they said in a statement, adding that the EU will keep monitoring Italy's implementation of the measures "with the aim of pursuing policies that foster growth."

The measures that were passed Saturday include raising the retirement age to 67 by 2026 and to 70 by 2050 and selling off state property.

Some analysts expect the return of the property tax on primary residences, a tax that Berlusconi had abolished.

A crowd of supporters applauded Berlusconi on Sunday at his private residence in Rome ? in sharp contrast to the hundreds Saturday night who heckled and jeered him and popped open bottles of sparking wine to toast his departure.

It was an ignoble end for the billionaire media mogul, who came to power for the first time in 1994 using a soccer chant "Let's Go Italy" as the name of his political party and selling Italians on a dream of prosperity with own transformation from cruise-ship crooner to Italy's richest man.

While he became Italy's longest-serving postwar premier, Berlusconi's three stints as premier were tainted by corruption trials and accusations that he used his political power to help his business interests. His last term was marred by sex scandals, "bunga bunga" parties and criminal charges he paid a 17-year-old girl to have sex ? accusations he denies.

Berlusconi appeared on TV in a recorded message Sunday, pledging to stay a vigorous political force in Parliament, where he is still a lawmaker.

"(I) resigned out of a sense of responsibility and of state, to ward off more speculative financial attacks on Italy," he said.

Looking somber, Berlusconi said he was sad that his "generous gesture" of resignation was greeted by "hoots and insults" from the crowds.

___

Gabriele Steinhauser contributed from Brussels.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111113/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_italy_financial_crisis

tashard choice amityville horror aaron rodgers puss in boots the rum diary trailer the rum diary trailer nor easter

Justin Bieber Underwear Alert! Justin Bieber Underwear Alert!


Justin Bieber, we see London. We see France. We totally see your underpants!

The singer was out for a stroll yesterday in Paris and was so protective of girlfriend Selena Gomez by his side - as they battled through fans and photographers - that he didn't try to stop his pants from falling. The result? An answer to one of life's greatest questions: Boxers or briefs for Bieber?

Justin Bieber Underwear!Bieber in Paris

Bieber appears to be in a good mood, and why shouldn't he be? The artist is number-one... again!

Justin's Christmas album tops the charts and the credibility of Mariah Yeater, the 20-year old accusing him of fathering her son, is diminishing day by day. Looks like it's gonna be a good holiday season for the Biebs - and his fans!

Stare at this picture for as long as you'd like, ladies.

[Photos: Pacific Coast News]

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/11/justin-bieber-underwear-alert-justin-bieber-underwear-alert/

advent calendar adobe air 2005yu55 advanced search a christmas carol personhood amendment haynesworth